Exhibit device.



O. E. KELLUM.

EXHIBIT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED nun, 1911.

Patented Aug; 1, 1911.

J6 Iii $255k OPQ'WQOEE COLUMBIA PLANOGIAPH a WASHINGTON. D. C

. UNITE stars PTENT FItlE.

ORLANDO E. KELLUM, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONALSTREET AND STATION INDICATOR COMPANY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ACORPORA- TION OF CALIFORNIA.

EXHIBIT DEVICE.

Application filed February 1, 1911.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORLANDO E. KELLUM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in ExhibitDevices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a novel form of exhibit device particularlyadapted for street and station indicators.

The prime object of the invention is to provide a device which is simplein construction and which is very easily operated.

In the drawings I have only shown the exhibit device, omitting entirelythe act-uating mechanism for the same. This actuating mechanism may beof any desired character, the only requisite being that it shall rotatethe main shaft of the exhibit device through a portion of a revolutionat desired intervals. This portion of a revolution may be varied inextent, according to the construction of the display mechanism.

In the drawings I have shown in its preferred form a mechanism in whichthe main shaft is rotated a quarter revolution during each operation,but in a modified form there is shown a mechanism in which the rotationis made through a third of a revolution; and this modified form may betaken as typical of many other forms.

Considered broadly the invention consists of a drum of suitableproportions around which is wound an exhibit tape or chain composed ofseparate exhibit members pivotally secured to each other. This chain ofexhibit members is wound spirally around the drum, the exhibit membersbeing stood on edge on the drum. The members are so arranged on the drumthat in some one revolution therearound there is a certain amount ofslack, allowing one or more of the members to drop down below the normalperiphery of the chain where it is tightly wound around the drum. Theamount of this drop and the number of members concerned therein willvary according to the structure. I have shown a construction in whichthe amount of slack corresponds to one half the length of one exhibitmember, this allowing two members to hang down partially below thenormal periphery of the chain wound around the drum.

These points of structure and of operation will be better understoodfrom the following specification, in which I have described a specificform of my invention, being the form which I have found best for certainpurposes; but for other certain purposes it may be found that otherforms will be better than the form described as my preferred form, and Ido not wish to limitmyself from the use of certain other forms.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical cross section takenon line 11 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a view showing the case in. longitudinalsection and showing the exhibit chain and members in elevation. Fig. 3is an outside elevation of the device. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic viewshowing a modified form in section.

In the drawings 5 designates a case having circular side walls and asemi-cylindrical top wall, the bottom being open. Side walls 6 carry acentrally arranged shaft 7. Top wall 8 extends over the top and sidesand is terminated by two outwardly curving sides at its lower edges.Within the case 5 shaft 7 carries a drum 10 preferably composed of twoflange members 11 held in spaced relation by studs 12. In the preferredconstruction studs 12 are eight in number, being evenly spaced aroundcentral shaft 7 on a diameter depending on other considerations whichwill appear later. Studs 12 form the base of the drum upon which theexhibit chain is wound. The exhibit chain is composed of a plurality ofexhibit members 141 each of such size and configuration as to fit aroundone third the drum periphery, having notches 15 on their inner edgeswhich fit over studs 12. One notch 15 is cut in the center of members14, while a corresponding half notch is supplied at the ends of themembers, the members being secured successively by rivets 16 at theirouter corners, this structure being illustrated in Fig. 1. The exhibitchain thus made up is wound spirally around the drum, with the exhibitmembers 14 standing on edge as illustrated. In their normal position theexhibit members are wound tightly around the drum, notches 15 engagingwith studs 12 and holding the members from displacement. The ends ofexhibit members 14 are overlapped where they are attached together, sothat alternate studs 12 are engaged by the half notches on the ends oftwo members 14.

' in the space measured by three successive studs 12 there are placedtwo members 14. Ordinarily, a space measured by four successive studswould be occupied by two members; consequently the two members 14 dropto the position shown in Fig. 1. The radial width of members 14 is sodetermined that their inner edges never pass beyond the outerperipheries of members 14 where they are tightly wound on the drum. Thisarrangement provides that the members 14 may always be easily moved backto place against the drum between the adjacent convolutions of theexhibit chain without their inner edges catching on the outer edges ofthe adjacent member.

Starting with the device in the position shown in Fig. l, the operationis as follows. The drum may be rotated in either direction, it beingintended that the direction of rotation be reversed at will so as toexhibit the matter on members 14 in one sequence or the opposite. Takingthat the device is moving in the direction indicated by the arrow inFig. 1, if the drum is rotated through a quarter revolution in thatdirection, it will be seen that member l4 will be thrown to ber 14taking the position of member 14*. In the meantime member 14 will beplaced in the present position of member 14, member 14 taking theposition of member 14 The curved ended portion 9 of the case preventsmember 14 from projecting from the drum as it passes to the position ofmember 14 keeping the slack in the exhibit chain always below andbetween the two curved portions 9. Thus it will be seen that thesuccessive members 14 are exhibited at the lowermost point of themechanism, one half at a time. The information desired to be shown isplaced half on the end of one member 14 and half on the end of theadjacent member, this being shown in Fig. 1. In the showing of stationsor streets the name is placed directly across the line of divisionbetween adjacent members 14; in this man ner each member 14 carries onehalf of two separate stations or designations.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modified form of my invention, in which eachmember 14 is designed to extend around a third of the drumcircumference. In this arrangementit will be seen that the members 14hang from the device somewhat differently than is the case in thepreferred form; but the general arrangement and operation is the same.It will be seen from this showing that the number and arrangement of theplates is of particularly little consequence so far as the realinvention is concerned; the only difference being in the amount ofexhibited surface in proportion to the total size of the device.

daving described my invention, I claim:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a rotatable drum, thedrum composed of two flat flanges and a series of studs between theflanges arranged at a common radius from the flange centers and spacedequidistantly from each other to form the winding portion of the drum,an exhibit chain composed of a plurality of exhibit members relativelythin and flat and secured to each other at their ends, each exhibitmember being in the shape of a segment of a circle with notches on itsinner periphery adapted to engage with the drum studs, each exhibitmember being of a length corresponding to the difference betweenalternate studs, the chain so formed of the exhibit members beingspirally wound on the drum with the notches of the members in engagementwith the studs, one end of said chain being displaced toward the otherend so as to allow a slack portion in the chain, and a case surroundingthe drum and chain excepting at one of its peripheral sides.

2. An exhibit device, comprising a rotatable drum, a chain composed of aplurality of exhibit members each relatively flat and thin and securedto each other at their ends to have a relative pivotal movement in theirown planes, the exhibit chain so formed be ing spirally wound tightly inall except one convolution around the drum with the in dividual exhibitmembers edgewise to the drum, and means to keep the exhibitchain inengagement with the drum except at the point of the loose convolution.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I hereunto subscribed my name this27th day of January, 1911.

' ORLANDO E. KELLUM.

Witnesses:

JAS. H. BALLAGH, ELwooD H. BARKELEW.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

